Unvarnished Reality
by Nyctanthous
Summary: Izaya and Shizuo fight all the time, but what happens when Izaya actually gets hurt for once? The rating will probably go up after the first few chapters. Reviews are always appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I wasn't going to post this for two reasons: 1. 'Cause I write a lot of stuff that I don't really feel the need to share with the internet world because I don't think it would be of interest to anyone but me, and 2. Because it was initially supposed to be a one-shot and I've posted way too many of those lately.

But alas, this story has done what most of my stories do, which is taken on a life of its own. For the readers that are okay with a tragic one-shot, please stop reading at the end of Chapter 1. For everyone else, feel free to continue on.

Reviews are always appreciated, pleasant or otherwise.

Unvarnished Reality

It had been a while since Izaya Orihara dared to set foot in Ikebukuro. Almost three months. Last time, that monster Shizuo Heiwajima had almost managed to kill him, though Izaya would never admit it.

Izaya had just been talking to a new human he'd found, Mikado Ryuugamine, when all of a sudden a vending machine had hit him hard enough to send him flying. He'd blacked out for a moment, and when he woke up a few seconds later, he was in a tremendous amount of pain.

With effort, Izaya managed to hook on his signature grin as he struggled to his feet and turned to face the only person it could possibly be: Shizuo Heiwajima. Izaya drew his flickblade as Shizuo growled out his name in that animalistic way that made Izaya's flesh crawl.

Izaya knew that he would be a goner if Shizuo attacked, but luck was on his side. A gang of punks showed up, and one of them was stupid enough to attack Shizuo, incurring the monster's wrath. Izaya was able to escape in all the confusion.

When he had gotten safely back to his home, which took much longer than usual, Izaya sank to the floor and carefully cataloged his injuries. A broken collarbone, a concussion, a broken arm, three broken ribs, and a whole host of bruises and cuts.

It took several hours of painful bandaging, preceded by a meticulous application of antiseptic, before Izaya allowed himself to settle in at his computer. There was nothing to do now but wait. Izaya knew he couldn't go out until he removed the bandages, lest someone take advantage of his weakness and decide to get rid of him.

At last, Izaya was so bored that he took off the bandages, telling himself that he had healed enough. And the first thing he did was go to pay Ikebukuro a little visit. He had missed the humans there; the humans he loved so much. It had been terribly lonely having to stay away from them.

But no sooner had Izaya stepped onto those familiar streets than did he hear an equally familiar cry.

"III-ZAAAAA-YAAAAAAAA!"

That cry made Izaya's blood run cold. Shizuo. Somehow, that monster had found him already. Izaya ran away as fast as he could, but his injuries, (especially the broken ribs), were slowing him down. After just a few blocks, he knew he had no choice but to turn and face Shizuo.

"Hey, Shizu-chan," Izaya said in a sing-song voice, trying not to show how heavily he was breathing. "I've missed you so!"

"Izaya," Shizuo snarled again. He looked around for a weapon, and at last he ripped a stop sign right out of the concrete. Izaya, who was used to Shizuo's unnatural strength, just whipped out his flickblade and held it defensively across his body.

"I'd rather not do this today, Shizu-chan," Izaya admitted. "I'll have you know that I'm not feeling too good right now."

"Then just stand still and let me put you out of your misery!" Shizuo swung the stop sign and Izaya staggered back a few steps, letting the sign slice the air just inches in front of his face. Izaya parried the next swing with his flickblade. He winced as his whole arm went numb from the force of the blow.

_Fuck,_ Izaya thought, dodging clumsily as Shizuo tried over and over to hit him. Izaya stumbled over his own feet and he felt the stop sign slam into his stomach. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air.

Izaya was up so long that he almost didn't expect to land, but then he smashed into the side of a building. He tumbled forward in a shower of broken bricks and fell to the ground. His legs were broken; Izaya knew that at once. He lay still, knowing that it was useless to get back up and in too much pain to try.

So this is how it would end...

Shizuo stomped over and grabbed him by the throat, hauling him into the air. Izaya bit back a groan of pain and watched Shizuo through slitted eyes.

"Got ya, flea," Shizuo said triumphantly. He slammed Izaya against the wall, and Izaya felt his teeth clack together. The flickblade, which he hadn't known he still had in his hand, dropped to the pavement with a clatter.

Shizuo looked down at the knife in surprise, then he got a twisted sneer on his face. He let go of Izaya, letting him crumple to the ground, and picked up the blade.

"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face once and for all, flea," Shizuo promised. Izaya, panting, turned his head and blinked at Shizuo in confusion. Smirk? Was he smirking? Izaya reached up and touched his lips. Indeed, they were bent into their usual mocking curve. How about that?

Izaya began to laugh maniacally, amused and half-delirious. He stopped and coughed, choking out a mouthful of blood, then he laughed some more. Shizuo paused and looked down at him suspiciously.

"You aren't going to run away?"

Shizuo clearly thought this was some kind of trick, which made Izaya laugh even harder.

"Oh, Shizu-chan," Izaya rasped when he finally stopped, breathless from laughing and from the pain. "I couldn't outrun you. Not this time."

Shizuo knelt down beside him and Izaya closed his eyes, waiting for the pain of his own knife going through his flesh, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes a little and saw that Shizuo had put down the knife and was looking at him with the strangest expression. Izaya wasn't used to seeing anything other than rage on Shizuo's face, but he knew that he must be imagining this look of concern.

"Are you hurt that bad?" Shizuo's voice was completely without anger. Izaya had never heard Shizuo speak normally before.

"Hey, why don't you just stab me already?" Izaya replied, ignoring the question. "Or is it just too tempting to sit there and watch me die slowly?"

There was a long moment where Izaya's labored breathing was the only sound.

"Die?" Shizuo repeated softly. "You're...dying?"

Izaya tried to focus on Shizuo, but he couldn't. His vision was all blurry. "I don't blame you for wanting to enjoy it," he said. His tongue was heavy, like lead. It was making him slur his words. "Feels pretty good, huh, Shizu-chan? Finally accomplishing your goal after all this time? Come on, you can tell me. Doesn't it feel good?"

"Tch!" Shizuo clenched his teeth and looked away. "How could I enjoy this with you lying there looking so damn pathetic? Dammit, flea! Even now you're somehow managing to ruin what should be the greatest moment of my life!"

"Aw, Shizu-chan..." Izaya's eyes slipped shut as he let out one final laugh, and then the smirk left his face. Without it, he looked really fragile, and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth was enough to make Shizuo's heart clench in guilt. Though that was nothing compared to what he felt when Izaya mumbled out his last words.

"M'sorry, Shizu..."

An apology? If Shizuo hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed it. Izaya was apologizing. To him.

To his murderer.

While Shizuo knelt there, wracked with guilt, Izaya was fading fast. He could no longer feel his body and his thoughts were so slippery that he couldn't hold onto them for more than a few seconds. Everything was going dark.

Right before Izaya closed his eyes, he heard Shizuo reply in a sad, quiet voice.

"Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

-hums happily-

Next chapter, here we go!

Unvarnished Reality

Not long after Izaya fell unconscious, Shizuo pulled out his cellphone and called for help. The phone rang for a long time–it felt like years–but just when it was about to go to voicemail, Shinra finally picked up.

"Shizuo!" Shinra whined. "This had better be good, eh? You've interrupted a very passionate moment between me and my sweet Celty–"

"Shinra, shut up," Shizuo said, unable to keep the exasperation from his voice. "I'm bringing Izaya to your house."

"What's this?" Shinra was understandably shocked. After all, he was the one who had introduced Shizuo and Izaya and had been witness to their mutual attempt to kill each other at first sight. "Is it the end of the world or something?"

Shizuo growled under his breath. He could feel that familiar burn behind his eyes of his temper firing up. "Look, just be ready to fix him, okay?"

"Huh? Fix him? What do you–"

Shizuo hung up before Shinra could make him any more angry. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and, as gently as he could, lifted Izaya off the ground. It was easier than he thought it would be; the flea was unnaturally thin and light. Shizuo gritted his teeth at the feeling of Izaya's blood seeping through his uniform.

"Bastard," Shizuo snarled at the unconscious flea. "Making me feel guilty and getting my clothes all stained. Why couldn't you just die quickly?"

Though Shizuo half-expected him to, Izaya didn't reply. Shizuo started to run towards Shinra's. As he ran, he glanced down at the limp body in his arms. Like this, Izaya really didn't look much like Izaya. That was almost enough to smother the anger in Shizuo's chest, but not quite. Shizuo didn't really calm down until he noticed that one of the sleeves of Izaya's coat was torn almost all the way off.

_Serves him right,_ Shizuo thought. _Though he probably has a million of these coats at home, just like I have a million bartender outfits. I can get mad, though, because mine were given to me by my younger brother. I'm sure Izaya's coats aren't anything special like that._

But deep down, Shizuo knew that Izaya only had the one coat, and for all he knew, it could have been a gift from one of his younger sisters. Or his parents. Shizuo didn't really know anything about Izaya other than that he hated him.

When Shizuo arrived at Shinra's, he found Celty holding the door open for him. She had probably figured he would kick it down if he got there and it was closed. She was right.

"Bring him over here," Shinra said, gesturing for Shizuo to follow him back into the operating room. Once Shizuo laid Izaya down on the surgical table in the middle of the room, he left so that Shinra could work.

For some reason, Shizuo didn't just go home. He walked into the living room and sat down heavily on the couch. Just as he was about to get lost in thought, Celty surprised him by offering him a cup of milk.

"Thanks," Shizuo said. He took the cup, but made no move to drink from it. Celty nodded her headless neck in reply and then took a seat on the chair across from him. She waited a moment before she typed on her phone and held it up for him to read.

[What happened?]

"Ah, you know," Shizuo said, shrugging. "We were just fighting like usual."

[In Ikebukuro?]

"Where else?"

Shizuo was nowhere near as good at reading Celty's emotions as Shinra, but she seemed confused.

[Izaya hasn't left his house for a while now. Shinra and I were getting worried.] Celty hesitated, then typed: [Did he say anything to you?]

Shizuo tried to remember. "Well, I was pretty angry at the time, but I think the flea did mention that he was feeling sick, or wasn't feeling good, or something like that," he said slowly.

Celty nodded thoughtfully, and the conversation was over. An hour later, Celty went to bed. Shizuo ended up falling asleep on the couch waiting for Shinra to finish.

Shizuo didn't know how long he slept before the smell of fresh coffee coaxed him awake. He sat up and found Shinra sitting at the kitchen table, looking absolutely exhausted.

"Hey!" Shizuo said, getting to his feet. "How'd it go?"

Shinra sighed. "Izaya's going to be fine," he replied. "I, however, feel like I might die at any moment."

Celty walked into the room, wearing a pair of modest pink pajamas.

[The surgery went well, then?]

"I suppose so. Though I really didn't think he was going to make it for a while."

Shizuo felt his insides go cold. "What was wrong with him?"

Shinra took a long gulp of coffee. "Trauma, broken bones, blood-loss, internal bleeding, you name it," he said. "Not to mention that he had some half-healed broken ribs pressing into his lungs."

"Half-healed?" Shizuo repeated.

"Yeah. I'd say that someone roughed him up pretty badly and Izaya tried to treat himself. I had to re-break his arm because it healed crooked."

[That would explain why he didn't go out. It would ruin his reputation if someone saw him like that.]

Shizuo frowned. Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't the flea's only enemy. Whatever. Izaya only had himself to blame for being such an asshole all the time. "Well, then I'm out of here."

"You don't want to wait until Izaya wakes up?"

"What for?" Shizuo replied. "I can't kill him when he's like this, and that's all I care about." He waved over his shoulder as he walked over to the door. "Thanks for your help."

And Shizuo left.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again. Here's the next chapter; I hope it doesn't suck!

Unvarnished Reality

_What's going on? _

Izaya woke up to find himself in Shinra's house. He didn't know how he'd gotten there, or why he was so sore, or why there was an oxygen mask over his face.

But then Izaya remembered. He had been attacked by Shizuo, and he'd been hurt. Badly. Izaya put a hand to his head and winced. Actually, it had been worse than that. He'd been dying.

So how was he still alive?

"Yes, he should be waking up soon. I'm going to check on him now."

At the sound of Shinra's approaching voice, Izaya immediately pretended to be asleep. He heard the door open and two sets of footsteps walked over to the bed. The footsteps stopped and there was a clicking sound. Izaya recognized it as Celty typing on her phone.

"Well, it was certainly a near-miss," Shinra answered to whatever Celty had typed. "If Shizuo had gotten him here any later, I doubt there would have been anything I could do."

Izaya almost forgot that he was pretending to be asleep. Shizuo had brought him to Shinra? The guy that had been trying to kill him for years?

Celty was typing again.

"You're right, we should go make some food for him. I'm sure he'll be hungry when he wakes up."

The footsteps went away and the door closed. Izaya opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling in deep thought.

Shizuo had tried to kill him, yet Shizuo had saved him. Why would he do that?

Izaya was tempted to stay in bed and think about it, but he had never been able to figure out what that monster was thinking in the past, and it wouldn't be any different now. That was one of the reasons he hated him so much. Shizuo was the one person he couldn't manipulate.

With effort, Izaya pushed himself up and took the IV out of his arm. It was about time he got home. He had been away from his computer for far too long, and his cellphone was dead and probably filled with missed calls from potential clients. If he stayed away from work any longer, someone was going to think he was insulting them, track him down, and, when they found him so weak, they'd finish the job Shizuo started.

Izaya removed the oxygen mask and suddenly found the air a lot more thin as he looked down at his battered body and tried to figure out how he should go about standing up. There was a cast on his arm and some uncomfortably tight bandages around his ribs, but his legs were bare. They must have only been bruised, then, and not broken like he'd thought.

In that case, it shouldn't be that hard to just get up and escape out the window.

Izaya threw back the sheets and jumped out of bed, but to his surprise, his legs buckled. He fell heavily, his flailing arms knocking over the IV and a small table of surgical instruments in a loud crash.

What had gone wrong? Izaya groaned and levered himself off the floor with shaking arms. He attempted to pull one of his legs forward so he could get up, but nothing happened. It was like someone had cut them open and taken all the muscles out.

The door burst open and Shinra and Celty rushed inside. They must have heard all the noise and come to see what was going on.

"Izaya, what are you doing?" Shinra exclaimed. "You need to be in bed right now!"

Shinra went to help him up, but Izaya lashed out with a clumsy punch that Shinra just barely managed to avoid by staggering back and falling on his ass.

"What the fuck's wrong with my legs?" Izaya hissed. The raw fury burning in his eyes was terrifying. "What did you do to me?"

"Huh? Izaya, nothing's wrong with your legs–"

"LIAR! STAY BACK!" Izaya snatched a scalpel from the floor and held it up. Shinra tried to inch closer, and Izaya slashed a few times to show he meant business, cutting a neat slice through the sleeve of Shinra's lab coat.

Suddenly, a wave of pain made Izaya cry out. He dropped the scalpel, and Celty immediately lunged forward and pinned his arms while Shinra stabbed a needle into his neck. Izaya fought and cursed, but whatever Shinra had given him made his eyes roll back and he went limp. Shinra sighed in relief, wiping a hand across his forehead.

"Next time, I'll have to remember to keep him strapped him down."

After Shinra and Celty lifted Izaya gently onto the bed, Celty took out her phone and started to type very quickly.

[You're bleeding.]

Shinra looked down at the gash in his arm that Izaya had made with the scalpel, then he shrugged and gave her a crooked grin. "It's fine," he said. "I'll bandage it later. Besides, don't you think I'd look even sexier with a scar?"

Celty gave Shinra a punch to the stomach that made him double over. As he was recovering, she typed:

[What's wrong with Izaya's legs? It almost looked like they weren't working.]

"Yes," Shinra panted. "I noticed that, too. I think I'm going to re-examine Izaya while he's unconscious and see if I can find out what's going on."

[Good luck.]


	4. Chapter 4

New Chapter~! \(^0^)/

Unvarnished Reality

"Just as I thought."

Celty turned towards Shinra and held up her phone.

[What do you mean?]

Shinra sighed and flopped down on the couch. "Izaya's spine is broken."

Celty froze. [His spine...but that means...]

"Yes," Shinra said, covering his face with his arm. "He's paralyzed from the waist down."

[Is there anything you can do?]

Shinra sighed again. "I'm just an underground doctor," he replied. "My skills are limited." He removed his arm and paused. "Though...there _is_ one thing that might work...something that my dad taught me. "

As always, Celty seemed to know what was bothering him. [Even if it's dangerous, you have to try.]

"You're right, but I'd like to talk it over with Izaya first. Especially since this procedure will almost certainly kill him."

Celty did nothing for a moment, then she turned and walked over to get her motorcycle. Shinra looked over.

"You're going out to patrol?"

[I won't be gone long.]

"Be careful out there, dearest," Shinra said, giving her a weary grin. "Text me if you get into any trouble."

Celty waved over her shoulder and took the elevator down.

xxx

Shizuo took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke at the moon. He'd just gotten off work, having helped to collected money for his boss Tom from almost a dozen deadbeats, and he was feeling a little sore. That tended to happen after he got angry and his insane strength took over. Sometimes, his muscles overexerted themselves.

Suddenly, a pitch-black motorcycle pulled up next to him. Shizuo glanced over at the rider.

"Yo, Celty," he said. "How are you tonight?"

[I'm here with information about Izaya. I wasn't sure if you wanted to know.]

Shizuo threw his cigarette on the ground and clenched his teeth. He was torn between wanting to know and wanting to have nothing to do with that flea. At last, he sighed. "Sure, why not?"

Celty's fingers flew over the keyboard of her phone. [Izaya's spine is broken.]

Shizuo felt his heart skip and he decided he didn't want to know. Well, it was too late now. Shizuo pulled out another cigarette and lit it, breathing in a lungful of smoke. That was it, then; he'd lost his chance to kill Izaya.

It took Shizuo a moment to realize that Celty was holding up her phone again.

[Right now, Izaya's lower body is paralyzed, but Shinra says that he knows a procedure that might fix him. It doesn't seem like the odds of Izaya surviving that procedure are very good.]

Shizuo gave a short laugh. "If I know the flea, he's not going to chance it," he replied. "He can do plenty of damage without ever having to leave his computer."

Celty stared at him until Shizuo glanced over at her.

"You think he _will_ chance it, though, don't you?"

[I think that trying to figure out what Izaya will do is impossible,] she replied. [But yes, I think that he will let Shinra try.]

Shizuo was quiet for a while. Celty's cocked her helmet to the side as she looked at him, then she typed again and held up her phone.

[If you're worried, you're always welcome to stop by.]

The incredulous response that Shizuo expected himself to give stuck in his throat. Instead, he heard himself say: "Yeah, maybe I will."

Shizuo thought that Celty smiled at him. [You really are a good guy, Shizuo,] she typed, then she put her phone away and roared off down the road.

"Good guy?" Shizuo repeated. He shook his head. "If I was a good guy, I would've ignored my own guilt and killed Izaya when I had the chance. By letting him live, I'm just as bad as he is."

Shizuo took a comforting drag on the cigarette, then he sighed. Well, he might as well go visit Izaya tomorrow after work. It would be a good chance to tell the flea he hated him one last time.

If Izaya did say yes to Shinra's insane procedure, of course.

"There's no way," Shizuo muttered to himself. "Izaya loves himself too much. He won't risk it."

But deep down, Shizuo was actually a little worried that Izaya would prove him wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

Here I am again, posting an update on this story that, as of yet, does not have an ending.

Rating goes up here from T to M due to Izaya being...well, Izaya.

Unvarnished Reality

This was the pain he had been missing before.

Izaya woke up with a groan. Everything hurt except for his legs. He tried to move his arms to hug his body, but he couldn't move. At all.

"SHINRA!" Izaya roared, struggling against the straps holding him down. "SHINRA!"

The door burst open.

"Izaya, you have to stay as still as possible." Shinra's voice was anxious. "You have a broken spine."

Those words sent a icy chill through Izaya. He tried to make himself relax, but it was hard. He was used to being in control. At last, he took a deep breath.

"Why am I strapped down?" he asked, much more calmly than he felt. "And what is this thing around my neck?"

Shinra sighed in obvious relief and leaned over the bed so Izaya could see him. "You're strapped down so you don't pull another stunt like earlier. The 'thing' around your neck is a padded brace so you don't further damage your spine."

Izaya closed his eyes and was quiet for so long that Shinra thought he'd fallen asleep.

"...Izaya?"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Shinra blinked. "Huh? Help with what?"

"Killing myself."

Shinra was too shocked to say anything. Izaya opened his eyes and gave a smirk.

"I guess that's a no."

That snapped Shinra out of it. "There's no need for that," he said hastily. "I know of a procedure that might work. It's very dangerous, but–"

"Don't say it," Izaya spat venomously. "I'm not some idiot you can lie to; I am an informant. I know perfectly well that there is nothing you can do that will make me walk again."

Suddenly, there was a phone over his face.

[Stop it, Izaya. Shinra really does know a way to help you. Listen to him.]

Izaya gritted his teeth. "Fine," he said. "What is it you're planning to do to me?"

"I don't think you're going to like it."

"Try me."

xxx

When Tom finally told Shizuo he could go, Shizuo stopped off for dinner at Russian Sushi, then he made his way grudgingly towards Shinra's house. He couldn't believe he was actually going to visit Izaya.

Shizuo knocked on the door, and when it didn't open, he let himself in.

"Shinra? Celty? Hello?"

It was pretty dark inside the house, so Shizuo didn't see Celty until she was practically right in front of him.

[Izaya's awake and Shinra's telling him about the procedure,] she typed. [Come on.]

Celty led the way back to the operating room. Both Shinra and Izaya ignored them as they walked inside. Shizuo was a little annoyed at the weird expression on Izaya's face. The flea looked apathetic, almost bored.

"That's sick, Shinra," Izaya said. "What you said isn't possible. You're just looking for an excuse to so an autopsy on me while I'm still alive."

"I assure you that is not the case." Shinra looked the opposite of Izaya; he looked really worried.

Izaya sighed. "Okay, fine. You're welcome to give it a try. Assuming I live that long."

"What?"

Suddenly, Shizuo found Izaya's eyes on him. That damn smirk was back, and the fleas red eyes were mocking.

"So, Shizu-chan, how's Kasuka doing? Do you miss your lover now that he's busy with his career?"

"Izaya–?" Shinra started, but Celty grabbed his arm and held up her phone.

[Stop him!]

Shizuo had stiffened at the mention of his brother's name, and now his hands were slowly clenching into fists. "What did you just say?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

"I asked if you miss having your brother moaning under you as you fuck his brains out. Or was it the other way around?" Izaya gave Shizuo his most twisted grin. "I'm right, aren't I? I always knew you were your brother's bitch!"

Shinra tugged on Shizuo's vest. "Shizuo, don't...you can't..."

But it was too late. With an inhuman roar, Shizuo drew back his fist and aimed right at Izaya's face. The force behind that punch would have certainly split open Izaya's skull if Celty hadn't used her shadows to hold it back. She used her free hand to type on her phone.

[Don't let Izaya manipulate you!]

Izaya let out a piercing laugh and spurred Shizuo on with a few more vulgar suggestions about his brother. Celty had to drop her phone and use both hands to control the shadows as Shizuo fought even harder to get to Izaya. She trembled from the effort.

"Shizuo! Stop!" Shinra implored, waving his hands desperately. "This is what Izaya wants! You can't let him win!"

Gradually, Shizuo felt his temper receding. When Celty let him go, he stomped out of the room and put his fist through the nearest wall.

"Hey, Shizu-chan! Come back!" Izaya called. "You still haven't answered my question! Am I right? Does you scream his name when–?"

Shinra shut the door, silencing Izaya's goading voice. "Breathe, Shizuo," he said. "It's just Izaya being Izaya."

Shizuo glared over at him. "Don't you dare kill him," he said. His voice was shaking with fury. "From now on, no one's allowed to kill Izaya but me."

Shinra and Celty exchanged a look.

"I'll do my best," Shinra promised.

Shizuo nodded, then he walked over to the couch and lay down, closing his eyes. The message was clear: He wasn't leaving until Shinra finished the operation and he heard whether or not Izaya lived.


	6. Chapter 6

New update~!

(For the record, I love reviews! They make me really fucking happy! Even if they're mean!)

Unvarnished Reality

The operation couldn't begin right away because Shinra needed to take a nap first.

"Tired doctors make mistakes," he'd said.

So Izaya was stuck waiting. He tried to pass the time by thinking about ways he could make Shizuo's life miserable, but it just wasn't as fun as it used to be. And it would be useless to plan anything if he was just going to die.

Izaya felt an unfamiliar feeling rising in his chest. Fear. He was afraid. Izaya gave a quiet laugh.

"What am I so afraid of?" he muttered. "I was going to kill myself anyway."

Izaya truly didn't see the point in living if he didn't have his legs. He was an informant; that was all he was. It wasn't like he could sneak around gathering information in a wheelchair.

Hours went by before Shinra finally came in.

"Okay, Izaya. Are you ready?"

Izaya looked at him evenly. "Actually, I need to speak with Shizuo."

"No way."

"Shinra, please."

Something about Izaya's solemn expression made Shinra reconsider. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Shizuo stomped into the room. "What the hell do you want, flea?"

Izaya couldn't see Shizuo because his neck was in a brace, but he knew that Shizuo was still really angry. "I...well...I'd like to ask a favor."

In his mind, he saw Shizuo's incredulous expression, and then Shizuo laughed. "You must be seriously messed up if you think that I'd do anything for you."

"Oh, but Shizu-chan, it isn't for me," Izaya replied. "It's for Mairu and Kururi. I want to ask you to keep an eye on them."

And now the Shizuo in Izaya's mind was doubtful. "That's all? That's the favor? I don't believe it."

"I don't care what you believe," Izaya replied cooly.

Shizuo walked over and came into his line of sight. "Why do you suddenly care what happens to them?"

"No reason in particular."

"Tell me, or I won't do it."

Izaya laughed. "Nice try, Shizu-chan. You're going to do it whether I tell you or not," he replied confidently. "It's in your nature."

"Then tell me anyway."

Well, maybe just this once he could confide in someone. Why not? But after Izaya considered for a moment, he knew that he couldn't. "No way," he said, chuckling. "Just because I'm going to die doesn't mean that I'm willing to divulge any personal information."

Shizuo growled low in his throat and stormed out of the room.

Izaya's smirk faded. He knew that everyone thought he didn't care about his sisters, and that was just the way he wanted it. If people thought he didn't care, Kururi and Mairu would be safe. No one would try and use them as leverage to control him. No one would hurt them.

But the truth was that Izaya did care. He had always watched over them very closely; secretly funding martial arts lessons for Kururi and he making sure that Mairu got home safely each night.

Izaya often wondered why he did these things, but then he came to the conclusion that he didn't need a reason. He wanted to, and that was enough.

Though Izaya didn't always indulge his whims. For example, he never let himself get sad when he saw how much his sisters preferred Shizuo, or angry when Namie accused him of not having any friends.

There was a reason that Izaya Orihara always acted like a selfish asshole. He didn't want anyone to get too close to him. Just like family, friends could be used against you. No, Izaya would much rather keep people at a distance with taunts and insults than risk it.

Or maybe Izaya wanted to pretend that he was intentionally keeping people away. Maybe he just didn't want to believe that no one liked him.

Shinra came back. This time, Izaya was ready.


	7. Chapter 7

Back, by popular demand! Sort of...

Just a short one today. I'm really tired and I have loads of homework.

Excuses excuses.

I might post another update later if I don't pass out from exhaustion.

Unvarnished Reality

Shizuo paced angrily around Shinra's living room. Even though Shinra had woken him up after only an hour, he couldn't even think of going back to sleep.

[What's wrong?]

Shizuo glanced over at Celty. "Izaya asked me to look after his sisters."

[Shinra told me he had younger sisters,] she wrote. [But I didn't know they were close.]

"They aren't. That's what's bothering me."

Celty shrugged. [Maybe it just seems that way?]

Shizuo shook his head. "Celty, Izaya can't love anyone. Not even his own family."

Celty shrugged again, and Shizuo went back to pacing. He could tell that she didn't agree with him, but he refused to even consider that he was wrong. If he did, then Izaya would stop being someone he could blindly hate. That was not an option.

Because if he didn't hate Izaya, then he couldn't justify killing him.

"No," he muttered to himself. "This is just Izaya messing with me head like he always does. That's all. He's just trying to screw with my head."

Celty started to argue, then she closed her phone.

It wouldn't do any good to argue with Shizuo when he was like this.

xxx

(Five Hours Later)

"What's taking so long?" Shizuo demanded for about the hundredth time.

[Just try and relax,] Celty answered patiently. [You don't want him to rush and make a mistake, do you?]

"I guess not..." Shizuo sighed and flopped down on the couch. "Don't know why I'm so damned worried anyway."

Celty put a hand on his arm to get his attention and tilted her phone at him.

[Because Izaya's your friend.]

Shizuo blinked, then he gave a forced laugh. "Like I'd ever be friends with that louse," he retorted.

Celty gave a silent sigh and shook her head, admitting defeat.

Suddenly, Shinra walked into the room. Shizuo was on his feet in an instant.

Did it work? He wanted to ask, but he couldn't find his voice. Is Izaya alive?

Shinra let out a weary sigh, then he grinned and gave them a thumbs up.


	8. Chapter 8

I didn't pass out from exhaustion, so here I am!

This chapter is extremely rough, so please forgive any mistakes. I'll rectify them later.

Thanks for the reviews! A lot of them made me laugh; all of them made me blush (-happily). You guys rock!

(The last line of this chapter rhymes, by the way. An unintentional blunder on my part that I can't bring myself to fix.)

Unvarnished Reality

Izaya honestly didn't expect to wake up again after Shinra put him under, so it was a nice surprise when he opened his eyes. Even the blistering pain in his back was welcome.

"Hey."

Izaya still had a brace around his neck, but this one was flexible enough that he could look over at Shizuo. Dramatically, Izaya groaned and looked back at the ceiling, bring an arm up to cover his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Shizuo asked anxiously. "Are you in pain?"

"No...I just can't bear to look at your face." Izaya moved his arm and grinned at Shizuo's stunned expression. Shizuo became angry.

"Bastard!" he spat. "That wasn't funny."

"Aw, Shizu-chan can't take a joke?" Izaya laughed, knowing how much the sound grated on Shizuo's nerves. "Could it be that Shizu-chan was worried about me?"

Shizuo jumped to his feet. Izaya thought for sure that Shizuo was going to punch him, and was surprised when Shizuo left the room. A moment later, Izaya heard a loud crash followed by Shinra's tired, protesting voice.

"Shizuo, not the couch!"

Izaya smirked and closed his eyes. He was very tired, but before he went back to sleep, he wiggled his toes.

He fell asleep with a smile.

xxx

After taking his anger out on Shinra's living room, Shizuo went back and found Izaya resting peacefully. Shizuo hesitated, then he walked over and stood next to the bed.

"You're not thinking of killing him, are you?"

Shizuo glanced at Shinra, then he returned his gaze to Izaya's face. "No," he replied quietly.

"Why not?"

"Huh?"

Shinra shrugged. "Well, this is the perfect opportunity to do it, right?"

"...I guess," Shizuo replied slowly.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

What _was_ he waiting for?

Shizuo frowned. "I...fuck, I don't know."

Shinra walked over to stand on the other side of Izaya's bed. For a while, they both just watched him sleep, but then Shinra spoke up.

"You know, Izaya's not really a bad guy," he said unexpectedly. "I know he's done a lot of bad things, and he certainly goes out of his way to make trouble for you, but he's done good things, too."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like never killing you."

Shizuo laughed. "Shinra, you're crazy."

"Yeah, and so are you if you think that all that time Izaya spent carving up your bartender uniforms was because he couldn't have just stabbed you in the heart. Or that he couldn't have just made a quick phone call and had you erased from the planet. Trust me, with all of his connections, it would have been easy for him."

For some reason, Shizuo was genuinely offended. "Izaya's had me _shot,_" he said, scowling. "He's had me hit with a fucking truck!"

Shinra looked at him in perfect seriousness. "And yet you're still here, aren't you?"

That was true. Of everything Izaya had done, it was never quite enough. Shizuo knew he was hard to kill, but Shinra was right. If Izaya had wanted him dead, then he would _be_ dead. This had never really occurred to him before. Shizuo had always taken it for granted that he wanted to kill Izaya and Izaya wanted to kill him back, but that wasn't the case, was it?

"What's he thinking?"

Shinra shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't give me that," Shizuo said. "You've been his friend for years."

"That doesn't mean I have the slightest clue what Izaya's thinking."

"Then take a wild guess."

Shinra thought for a long time. "Maybe he likes fighting with you," he mused. "Or maybe he wants to be friends with you."

"That's all you could come up with?"

"Well, I would have said that he wanted to manipulate you, but Izaya's told me a thousand times how unpredictable you are, so yes, those are the only two options that come to mind." Shinra gave Shizuo a weary smile. "Though to be honest, I think it's the latter."

Shizuo had no idea what to say to that. Friends? With Izaya? Celty had suggested the same thing, but something about hearing it said out loud just made it seem that much more insane.

But, as Shizuo had learned a long time ago, insanity was a staple in Ikebukuro.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh my gosh, I got the most wonderful reviews today! You're all so sweet! \(^-^)/

It's becoming a bad habit for me to jot down an update without editing it, so I'll apologize again for any errors. They won't be there forever.

Unvarnished Reality

(A Month Later)

"Absolutely not!"

Izaya shrugged, wincing as it strained his back. "I wasn't asking your permission."

Shinra pinched the bridge of his nose and took a slow breath. "Izaya," he said, "if you move around too much, you could injure yourself again. As your doctor, I can't allow it."

"Shinra, I'm going home whether you 'allow it'," here Izaya made air quotations with his fingers, "or not."

"I'll call Shizuo," Shinra threatened. "I'll make him come over here and hold you down."

Obviously, Shinra was hoping that would shut Izaya up, but it had the opposite effect.

"Hey! Great idea!" Izaya said, grinning. "Shizu-chan can carry me home!"

Shinra buried his face in his hands.

xxx

When Shizuo saw Shinra's name appear on his caller ID, he sighed and almost didn't answer.

Izaya's probably just driving him crazy, Shizuo thought.

And it was the possibility that he might get to hear Shinra complain about Izaya that decided him. Shizuo picked up the phone.

"Yo, Shinra."

"Hey, Shizuo!" Shinra sounded tired. "How's it going?"

"Just got off work. How's living with Izaya?"

"Actually, that's the reason I'm calling. Izaya wants to go home, and I was wondering if you could...if you wouldn't mind carrying him."

Shizuo wrenched the phone away from his ear and stared at it like it was a big, disgusting insect.

"Shizuo?" Shinra's voice squeaked from the receiver. "You still there?"

Shizuo slammed the phone back against his ear. "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?"

"Look, I know it's a little strange, but Izaya's dead-set on going home, and I can't think of any other way." Shinra gave a nervous laugh. "I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how stubborn he is..."

Shizuo almost hung up the phone right then. What was Shinra thinking? Just because he'd saved Izaya's life one time and hadn't killed him when he was recovering from surgery, didn't mean that he didn't want Izaya dead.

But he also wanted to be the one to kill him, and if he didn't do this, then there was a good chance that Izaya would try and get home on his own, and there was an even better chance that he would end up undoing all of Shinra's hard work in the process. If that happened, Shizuo wouldn't be able to touch him.

Even though Shizuo's hatred of violence usually didn't apply to the flea, he didn't think he would be able to kill someone who couldn't run away.

So Shizuo gritted his teeth and swallowed his pride.

"I'll be there soon."

Before Shinra could reply, Shizuo ended the call and gripped the phone to tightly that he practically crushed it.

I'm just doing this so he'll get better and I can kill him, he told himself furiously. That's all.

But anger rose up inside him. Shizuo let out an inhuman roar and hefted the nearest object, a vending machine, into the air.

"IZAYA!" he screamed, throwing the vending machine as hard as he could. People yelped and scrambled out of the way as the machine landed with a crash. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Shizuo immediately felt better. It was almost like old times, except Izaya wasn't there. That fact did not go unnoticed by the other people on the street, who murmured in confusion.

Izaya wasn't there.

Shizuo sighed.

xxx

Shizuo let himself in and found Shinra and Izaya in the operating room. Izaya was shirtless, and Shinra was in the process of strapping something around Izaya's torso. It almost looked like a very plain corset.

"Hey, Shizu-chan!" Izaya chirruped, grinning. "Did you miss me?"

Shizuo ignored him. "What is that?" he asked Shinra.

"It's a brace," Shinra grunted, yanking on a strap. "It should help to keep Izaya's spine together on the trip."

After another minute or so, Shinra was done. Shizuo walked over to Izaya, grimaced, then carefully lifted him off the bed and onto his back, as though he was giving him a piggy back ride.

"This is great!" Izaya exclaimed. "Man, I bet Simon would love to see this. Let's swing by Russian Sushi on the way, okay Shizu-chan?"

"Not going to happen," Shizuo replied sharply. "I'm not letting ANYONE see this if I can help it."

"Aw, you're breaking my heart!"

"As if you have a heart."

Just the barest flicker of pain went through Izaya's eyes, but Shizuo didn't see it, and it was soon wiped away with a big grin. "So cruel!" Izaya whined.

"Okay," Shinra said to Izaya, interrupting whatever he was going to say next. "Try not to move around too much, or turn your head too quickly."

"Sure thing, mom," Izaya replied, smirking.

Shinra then looked at Shizuo. "Thank you."

"Whatever," Shizuo replied. He carried Izaya towards the door. Celty opened it for them.

[See you around.]

"Bye-bye!" Izaya called to them, laughing.

But the moment the door closed, he fell strangely silent.


	10. Chapter 10

Another update. There may be a few little typos; I wrote this one with one hand because the doctor at my MRI popped the vein in my left arm and it hurts really really really really bad. _;

Unvarnished Reality

At first, Shizuo was more than happy not to question Izaya's uncharacteristic silence, but after walking for a few blocks, it began to annoy him.

"So," Shizuo said gruffly. "Why're you doing this?

Izaya jumped a little at the sudden question. "Um...I was bored?"

"Try again, flea."

Shizuo knew that Izaya was going to give another lame response, so he gave him a brisk shake. Izaya winced and changed his mind.

"I have to get to my computer before some of my more…ah, unstable clients think I'm ignoring them."

Shizuo gave a biting laugh. "It would serve you right for doing business with people like that in the first place," he replied callously.

Izaya's arms suddenly tightened around Shizuo's neck. If Shizuo had been any other person, he might have thought Izaya was trying to suffocate him.

"Hey, flea, what's your problem?"

Izaya was quiet. Again Shizuo gave him another shake.

"My back hurts," Izaya ground out through clenched teeth. "Shinra took me off painkillers this morning 'cause he was afraid I'd get addicted."

"Oh." Shizuo was suddenly hyper-aware of how he was walking, how much Izaya was being jostled around. He tried to be more careful. After a moment, Izaya slowly loosened his grip and gave a shaky sigh of relief.

xxx

Shizuo kept to the alleys so no one would see him in such an embarrassing situation, so it took longer to get to Izaya's house. When they finally got to the front door, Shizuo stopped.

"Izaya, where's your key? Izaya?"

There was no response. Shizuo glanced over his shoulder and saw that Izaya's eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. His first thought was that Izaya was dead, but then he realized that he could feel a heartbeat against his back as well as deep, even breathing.

Izaya was asleep? Shizuo was momentarily stunned, then he snapped out of it and quietly broke into Izaya's house by turning the doorknob until the lock broke and the door opened.

The house was pretty amazing, but Shizuo didn't focus on the decor so much as on the woman sitting at the nearest desk. She hadn't even looked up.

"He's not here," she said apathetically, still writing on a piece of paper. "Go away."

Shizuo felt his temper rising. This woman almost reminded him of Izaya.

"Yeah, I know. I brought him back."

Now the woman glanced up. Her cold eyes grew colder when she saw Izaya. "What a pity," she commented before looking back down at her work. "I thought he was dead."

Shizuo suddenly changed his mind. She wasn't like Izaya. Izaya was always laughing; this woman didn't even look like she knew how to laugh.

"Where's his room?"

The woman pointed, and, still not looking up, said: "Don't be too loud. I don't want a headache."

In spite of himself, Shizuo gaped, then he shook his head and carried Izaya down the hall. This woman thought he was going to rape her employer, and all she cared about was not getting a headache from the noise? What kind of people did Izaya have working for him?

The room at the end of the hall was dark but comfortable. Shizuo gently pried Izaya's arms away from his neck and laid Izaya on the bed. Izaya groaned in his sleep, but he didn't wake up.

It was incredible how innocent Izaya looked when he was asleep. Like a little kid. Shizuo found himself smiling, and he quickly stopped. Even so, he couldn't make himself hate Izaya when he was asleep.

_If he were dead, he'd look like that, too._

Shizuo was surprised at the malicious thought. Was he still going to kill Izaya? And, perhaps more importantly, did he still want to?

It was something Shizuo had avoided thinking about for a long time. Right now, the answer to both questions was no, but what about when Izaya woke up? Shizuo thought about it, and finally decided he'd let his anger make that call.

Though there was a good chance that the answers would still be no. Since the day Izaya had apologized to him, Shizuo hadn't felt the murderous rage that he usually felt towards the flea. Except for when Izaya intentionally tried to make him mad. But even then, he hadn't been half as angry as he used to get just from one of Izaya's smirks.

Shizuo found his mind wandering back to what Shinra and Celty had said. Could he and Izaya be friends? Obviously not by any traditional definition of the word, but in their own way?

"I don't know anymore," Shizuo whispered, frowning. "I...don't know."

Izaya, unaware of this major breakthrough, just went right on sleeping.


	11. Chapter 11

I have no idea where this is going. Probably not where all of you want it to go.

But I can't imagine this story will go one more than another chapter or two.

Thanks so much for your love, readers! 3

Unvarnished Reality

Shizuo was planning on going home, but it just seemed wrong to leave Izaya here alone with that woman. She probably wouldn't stop working even if Izaya was screaming in agony.

So he decided he was going to stay. At least for the night.

But there was one small problem with that plan: Shizuo was hungry. He thought briefly about making something in Izaya's kitchen, but he changed his mind. It would have felt too weird to eat Izaya's food.

The only other option was to go out for food. Shizuo thought for a moment, and then he decided to get Russian Sushi.

Then he came across another problem. He didn't have his wallet.

Shizuo walked over to Izaya and rifled through the pockets of his jacket until he found a roll of bills. He figured that Izaya owed him after he'd carrying him home like that.

When Shizuo was about to leave, he hesitated.

"I'll be back in an hour," he told Izaya quietly.

Then he stepped out of the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

xxx

_Ikebukuro's really quiet tonight,_ Shizuo thought as he walked. _Like the whole city's holding its breath._

Shizuo had a box of sushi in his hand. Since Izaya was paying, he'd ordered some grilled unagi for himself, and then, as an afterthought, asked Simon to give him an order of whatever Izaya usually ordered.

Simon had grinned widely and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Ahh, that's good!" he'd said. "It's no good to fight. Eat sushi, be happy!"

_If only this sushi were as magical as Simon thinks it is,_ Shizuo thought, holding up the box and giving it a disappointed look.

Suddenly, Shizuo smelled something in the air. Smoke? He looked away from the sushi and his jaw dropped.

Fire. Izaya's house was on fire.

Shizuo let go of the sushi, which tumbled to the pavement, and started to run. There was a small crowd gathered in front of the building, and that woman who worked for Izaya was one of them.

"What happened?" Shizuo demanded.

"Some guys came in and lit the place up," she replied calmly. "It was very distracting."

Shizuo looked around. "Where's Izaya?"

The woman shrugged. "Wherever you left him."

Before he knew what he was doing, Shizuo found himself racing into the house. The smoke was so thick that he could hardly see, and it burned his throat and eyes. As he hurried down the hall towards Izaya's bedroom, flaming chunks of the ceiling caved in around him, stinging his skin with sparks.

Shizuo kicked in the door and heard weak coughing from inside the smoke-filled room. When he got closer, he saw Izaya. Izaya was still lying in the same spot on the bed, but now he was awake.

"Hi, Shizu-chan," Izaya choked out, giving him a weak grin. "What...?"

Izaya burst into a fit of coughing before he could finish, and Shizuo lifted him off the bed and onto his back. The flames were growing, and Izaya hissed in pain as a piece of the ceiling hit his shoulder, lighting his jacket on fire. Shizuo reached back and beat the fire out as he carried Izaya down the hall and out of the building.

Once outside, Shizuo walked until he found a bench, then he carefully put Izaya down and took a minute to catch his breath. Now that he was out of the smoke, his lungs didn't hurt nearly as bad.

But Izaya was still wheezing and coughing.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo asked.

Izaya tried and failed to reply, desperately trying to draw breath. "Shinra," he gasped at last. "Call...Shin..."

As Izaya lapsed into another fit, Shizuo pulled out his cellphone and hurried dialed Shinra's number. When Shinra picked up, Shizuo didn't even give him a chance to speak.

"Someone set Izaya's apartment on fire and he breathed in some smoke," he burst out. "What do I do?"

"Calm down," Shinra replied immediately. "Have Izaya take slow breaths and keep him conscious. Celty and I will be there soon."

Shizuo hung up and told Izaya what Shinra had said. Izaya tried to even out his breathing, but he kept coughing. Shizuo was alarmed to see that Izaya's lips were turning blue.

"Shizu...chan..." Izaya whispered. "Why did...you...?"

"Shut up," Shizuo said. "Just breathe."

"But I want...to know..."

Shizuo's hands clenched into fists. "Fine! Just shut up!"

Izaya obediently fell quiet and looked at him expectantly with half-lidded eyes. Shizuo took a deep breath.

"I saved you because...because you're my friend!"

Izaya's eyes went wide, then he started to make a sound like he was choking. Shizuo was worried until he realized that Izaya was just trying to laugh.

"Stop laughing at me," he growled.

Izaya didn't listen. He kept right on laughing until he was interrupted by another fit of coughs.

"Shizu-chan is...so...unpredictable..." Izaya managed.

"Yeah," Shizuo grumbled. "So I've heard."

"But..." Izaya closed his eyes and smiled. "Shizu-chan...is also...my friend."

And with that, Izaya passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

I swear I actually had an idea for this chapter yesterday...oh well...

Unvarnished Reality

By the time Shinra and Celty arrived, Izaya could hardly breathe. Shinra made Izaya drink a bottle of ice-cold water to help reduce the swelling in his throat, then he gave Izaya some oxygen. After only a few minutes, Izaya was breathing more easily.

"You need to be more careful," Shinra told him. "It seems like every time I turn around, you're on the brink of dying. You're going to give me gray hair."

Izaya grinned but said nothing. He was too busy sucking down lungfuls of oxygen.

Shizuo came back just as Shinra was taking took Izaya off the oxygen, having gone to see how badly Izaya's home was damaged. "The place's burned to the ground," he reported.

[Izaya can stay with us.]

Shinra looked like he was about to protest, but said nothing. Izaya shook his head.

"No thanks," he replied breathily.

"It's all right," Shinra replied with false cheer. "Really."

Izaya shook his head. "Nice try, but I know how much you've been looking forward to some alone-time with Celty. I'll stay somewhere else."

"You could stay with me."

Everyone looked over in surprise at Shizuo.

"Hooray!" Izaya replied, grinning. "Shizu-chan's so nice!"

"A-are you sure about this, Shizuo?" Shinra stammered. "Izaya...living with you...?"

"It'll be fine," Shizuo insisted. Though he honestly didn't know what had made him suggest such a thing to begin with.

"Well, okay." Shinra still didn't seem very sure. "I guess that it's safe enough, as long as you don't lose your temper."

"As long as Izaya doesn't piss me off," Shizuo replied.

Shinra looked down at Izaya hopefully. Izaya actually had the nerve to pretend that he was offended.

"As if I would ever intentionally annoy Shizu-chan!"

Shinra kept looking at him until Izaya sighed.

"Fine, I won't," he said sulkily.

Izaya may have been a lot of things, but he wasn't a liar. "Okay," Shinra said at last. "I'll see you guys around, then."

[Goodbye.]

And Shinra and Celty got onto the motorcycle and drove away.

xxx

Once again, Shizuo found himself in the awkward position where he was forced to carry Izaya, but once again, he managed to make it to his destination without being seen.

Shizuo unlocked his apartment and walked inside. He half-expected Izaya to make some rude comment about how small it was, but Izaya said nothing. Shizuo set the flea down on the couch.

"You'll sleep here," he said. "I'll get you some blankets."

Izaya nodded. He looked exhausted, and Shizuo couldn't blame him. It had been a long day.

Shizuo was gone less than a minute, but Izaya was already sleeping when he got back. As quietly as possible, Shizuo unfolded the blankets and threw them over Izaya. He then flipped off the light and trudged into his room.

It was when Shizuo had gotten into bed and closed his eyes that reality caught up with him. Izaya was living in his house. _Izaya_ was _living_ in his _house!_

Shizuo groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. _How the fuck do I get myself into these things?_ he wondered.

xxx

The next morning, Shizuo woke up thoroughly convinced that it had all been a dream, but it only took one glance out into his living room to prove otherwise.

There, on his couch, was Izaya Orihara.

Shizuo sighed and got ready for work. He had to help Tom collect early today, and he was almost glad. It meant he wouldn't have to spend very much time with his new roommate.

It would be harder to lose his temper and kill Izaya if he wasn't home.

Though right now, Izaya was being surprisingly tolerable. In fact, as far as Shizuo could tell, he was still fast asleep.

Shizuo tried not to make too much noise as he showered and fixed breakfast, and he was relieved when Izaya didn't wake up before he left.

But Shizuo was dreading coming home. Izaya would certainly be awake by then, and would no doubt be his usual obnoxious self.

_I can't wait until he's gone,_ Shizuo thought.

xxx

It was dark by the time Shizuo finally made his way back to his apartment. He had gotten off work a few hours earlier, but couldn't bring himself to go home, knowing that Izaya was there, so he had stopped by Russian Sushi. Since he still Izaya's wallet, he ordered the same things as yesterday. Again, Simon smiled broadly.

Shizuo opened his door and steeled himself for that irritating voice, but it never came. He turned on the light and saw that Izaya was still sleeping.

That was unexpected. Shizuo grudgingly walked over and gave Izaya a tap on the shoulder.

"Hey, flea. Wake up."

Izaya shifted and opened his eyes. For just a moment, Shizuo saw a completely different person, but then Izaya blinked and that person vanished.

"Five more minutes, Shizu-chan," Izaya whined. Shizuo dropped the box of sushi on Izaya's chest.

"Shut up and eat your food."

Izaya grimaced as he sat up, trying not to strain his back. He opened the box and dug in, picking up pieces of fatty tuna with his fingers and popping them into his mouth, not even seeming to chew before he swallowed. Shizuo, watching him, felt vaguely ill.

"That's disgusting."

Izaya gave Shizuo a sly look. "Then don't feed me."

Shizuo was tempted, but he knew that wasn't an option. "Don't expect me to help you if you choke," he replied, then he opened his own box of food, got out his chopsticks, and started eating.


	13. Chapter 13

I am so proud of this chapter. Just...so proud.

(It might be a little out of character, but I did try.)

Unvarnished Reality

After he finished inhaling his dinner, Izaya closed his eyes and slumped down on the couch. Shizuo took much longer to finish, and then he gathered up the empty boxes and threw them away.

Usually, Shizuo would have started to do some exercises, but he didn't feel comfortable working out in front of Izaya, and his bedroom was too small. So instead, he sat back down with an annoyed sigh.

Shizuo glanced over at Izaya to find breathing deeply, his mouth partly open.

"Are you sleeping, flea?"

"Yeah."

"But you've been sleeping all day."

Izaya cracked open an eye. "Do you have a point, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo felt a surge of anger, but then he realized that Izaya wasn't being difficult; he was just asking. "So much sleep isn't healthy."

"Neither is spending too much time alone with my conscious mind," Izaya replied.

Shizuo laughed. "So you even drive yourself crazy, huh?"

"More than you could imagine."

Something about Izaya's serious expression was troubling, and Shizuo regretted saying anything. He changed the subject.

"So, what is it with you and that coat?"

From the way Izaya frowned, Shizuo knew he had once again managed to say the wrong thing. Izaya was quiet for a long time, but then he finally spoke.

"I stole it," he said at last.

Shizuo was more surprised that Izaya actually answered the question than by the answer itself. "From who?"

"A girl I killed."

"Ah. One of the suicides, huh?"

Izaya chuckled, but it wasn't a happy sound. "There was only ever one, Shizu-chan."

"But what about all those girls you talked into jumping off buildings?"

"I arranged for Celty to save them." Izaya's closed his eyes and his grin suddenly turned bitter. "As it turned out, they changed their minds halfway down and decided they wanted to live after all."

Shizuo shook his head. "I always knew you were a sick bastard," he said. "You just wanted to watch those girls break, didn't you?"

Izaya clicked his tongue. "On the contrary, Shizu-chan: I wanted to put them back together. You see, those girls would have killed themselves for sure if I hadn't come along and helped them out."

"Yeah, you're such a good guy," Shizuo said sarcastically. "That's why you're wearing a dead girl's coat."

Izaya said nothing. Eventually, Shizuo became impatient.

"Go on."

"I'd rather not," Izaya replied.

"Look, flea, you started this story and you'd better damn well finish it. Besides, you owe me one for letting you stay here."

Izaya sighed dramatically. "Fine fine," he said. "Who knew Shizu-chan would be so quick to let me out of a debt?"

"I'm only letting you out if you tell me the whole story," Shizuo clarified. "And no lies."

"I don't lie," Izaya answered. "You know that."

Shizuo stared at him and waited. Izaya closed his eyes.

"The name of the girl I killed was Miyuki Ito. She was my...I suppose the proper phrase is 'first love.' I loved her more than any of my other humans, so of course I made sure that I paid her particular attention to show that love."

"In other words, you teased her and insulted her relentlessly," Shizuo said, shaking his head in disgust.

"To each his own, Shizu-chan. That's just how I show I care," Izaya replied. "Miyuki always ignored me, but then one day, she looked me right in the eye and told me to meet her on the roof of the Sunshine 60 at midnight. And she said to bring flowers."

Izaya smiled. "I thought it was a date," he admitted. "I bought her a bunch of roses and went to the Sunshine 60. She was already there standing on the ledge. I called her name, and she glanced back at me. 'What are you doing up there?' I asked her, and she replied: 'You've made me so miserable. I hate you.' And then she jumped." Izaya shrugged. "I tried to catch her, but all I got was her coat."

Shizuo didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe Izaya had actually told him something so personal, and he almost wished that he hadn't. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen."

"Does Shinra know?"

"It never came up."

So that's a no. Shizuo was about to say something else, but Izaya interrupted him with a loud yawn. "Ah, that was a nice bedtime story!" he commented sleepily. "G'night, Shizu-chan!"

And then Izaya turned his head away. Shizuo got to his feet and went to bed.

The conversation was clearly over.


	14. Chapter 14

Updaaate~!

Unvarnished Reality

Shizuo couldn't sleep. He ended up tossing and turning for hours, thinking about what Izaya had told him. That coat...it had belonged to Izaya's first love. And Shizuo had ruined it.

Finally, Shizuo sighed and got up. He was going for a walk to clear his head. Maybe then he would be able to forget about the flea's sob story long enough to get some sleep.

But when Shizuo opened his door, he heard something strange. He crept down the hall and peered into the living room and felt as though his insides turned to ice.

Izaya was crying.

Shizuo numbly turned around and went back to his room. He couldn't believe what he had seen, didn't want to believe it. No, it must have been a mistake. Izaya wouldn't ever cry. Hell, Shizuo wasn't even sure if Izaya could cry. The flea probably didn't even have tear ducts.

"Enough," Shizuo told himself firmly. He couldn't let himself keep playing dumb when the truth was right in front of him. Izaya was human. Izaya felt anger and sadness, and he could certainly feel pain.

Shizuo walked over and flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Life sure had been simpler before he'd saved Izaya's life. He had been happily ignorant and seen the flea as a purely evil being. Something to be destroyed. Something that had to be destroyed.

And Shizuo wanted to be the destroyer. He wanted to tear Izaya apart and make him suffer.

But when it came right down to it, Shizuo hadn't been able to do it. Now he was paying for it with a sleepless night spent worrying about Izaya's psychological trauma.

The worst part of all this was that it was Izaya's fault, Shizuo decided. If he hadn't tortured that poor girl, he wouldn't have had to watch her kill herself. It wasn't fair, but it was the truth.

Though, Shizuo thought, it wasn't like he meant to drive her to suicide. In fact, a lot of boys tease the girls they like at that age.

So then was it the girl's fault for taking it so personally?

Maybe it was both their faults. Shizuo truly didn't know, but he did know that Izaya was trying to make it better. He was saving girls that wanted to die and giving them a future. Granted, he was doing it in a very malicious way, but that was probably why it worked so well.

Suddenly, everything Shinra had said made sense. Izaya wasn't a bad person; he just did bad things sometimes. But he also did good things. Saving those girls was one of the good things.

Shizuo covered his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to pretend this never happened, or else the next month or however long Izaya would be staying with him would be really awkward.

He had to pretend like nothing had changed.

xxx

The next morning, Shizuo woke up in an awful mood. He had only gotten about an hour of sleep and work was sure to be hell.

Shizuo trudged down the hall and turned on the light. "G'morning, flea," he said. Izaya looked over at him and grinned.

"Mm, good morning, Shizu-chan!" he replied. Though he sounded just as peppy as usual, he had bags under his eyes. "Gonna make me breakfast?"

"What?" Shizuo frowned. "I...I guess I could do that."

"You're so good to me." Izaya grinned and sat up, stretching as much as his back would allow. Shizuo, frying eggs, glared and pointed the spatula at Izaya.

"Don't get used to it, flea," he warned. "The minute you're better, I'm right back to chasing you out of 'bukuro."

Izaya suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah, that reminds me. Could you bring me a newspaper tonight? I have to start looking for a new house."

"Sure thing." Shizuo dished the scrambled eggs onto a plate and handed it to Izaya. "Here."

"Thanks~!" Izaya reached for the food, but Shizuo grabbed his wrist and forced a fork into his hand.

"Eat like a civilized human," he snarled.

Izaya pouted, but he ate the eggs with a fork, though he held it just like his flickblade. Speaking of which...

"Hey, where's that knife of yours?"

Izaya feigned confusion and ruined it by smirking. "Knife? What knife?"

A vein throbbed in Shizuo's temple. He cracked his knuckles. "I could refresh your memory, if you want."

"Ahhhh, no. That's okay," Izaya said hastily. He reached into the pocket of his coat and produced the flickblade. "Is this the knife you meant? Hey!"

Shizuo had snatched the flickblade out of his hand. "I don't want you having this when you're living here."

Izaya gave him a sullen look. "Fine. Just don't break it."

"Why, was it a gift from another dead girlfriend?"

That was a low blow. Shizuo instantly regretted saying anything, but Izaya grinned.

"No, I just like it."

Shizuo slipped the knife into the pocket of his vest and headed for the door. "I'll keep it safe," he promised, "as long as you don't trash my house."

"Can't do much from the couch," Izaya replied with a shrug.

Shizuo raised an eyebrow mistrustfully. "I'll be back around seven."

"And I'll be here."


	15. Chapter 15

Whoa, I did not expect the ending to show up for this update! How amusing! Anyway, here it is, the last chapter in this story that was initially meant to be a one-shot. Thanks to everyone who stuck around till the end, and a big high-five to the ones that reviewed and/or put this story on their favorites.

Unvarnished Reality

(Four Months Later)

Shizuo had gotten into a routine. He'd wake up, cook for Izaya, go to work, pick up sushi, and then head home. Izaya would greet him when he came in the door, Shizuo would snarl at him, then they would eat the sushi. After an hour or so of passive-aggressive conversation, Shizuo would go to sleep.

But today was different. Shizuo came home and Izaya was gone. There was a note on the counter, but it was just a scribbled picture of fatty tuna with a heart around it. Shizuo understood that the note was only there to tell him that Izaya had left of his own free will.

Tossing the note into the trash, Shizuo sighed and put the sushi on the counter. He had gotten so used to living with Izaya that he could hardly believe he was really gone. Though it was nice to be living alone again. If he wanted, he could sit on the couch. He could work out in the living room. He could...he could...

"Dammit," Shizuo growled. There was no way he missed the flea. No way.

Besides, this was good news. Now things could go back to normal.

Shizuo sighed.

xxx

Since Izaya left, Shizuo kept a look out for that familiar furred collar as he prowled the streets of Ikebukuro. Nearly a week later, he finally caught sight of Izaya, who was chatting with a group of teenaged girls. Izaya had on his most dismal expression, but it was clearly just part of the act.

"IIII-ZAAAA-YAAAAA!" Shizuo bellowed before he knew what he was doing. He looked around for something to throw or rip out of the ground. A street sign would do nicely, he decided, and the metal screeched as he wrenched it free.

Izaya immediately spun around and grinned at him. "Hi, Shizu-chan!" he said happily. He saw the street sign and his grin widened. "Ah, playtime already?"

"Izaya," Shizuo growled, and he swung the street sign. Just to be safe, he had swung a little more slowly than usual to make sure Izaya would be able to dodge it. Izaya skipped nimbly out of the way.

"Oh, come on, Shizu-chan," Izaya whined. "This isn't fair!"

Shizuo knew exactly what he meant. He reached into the pocket of his vest and brought out Izaya's flickblade, holding it up tauntingly. There was a murmur through the small crowd of people that had stuck around to watch, and then a shocked silence when Shizuo tossed the knife to Izaya.

Izaya caught the flickblade out of the air and snapped it open. "Much better," he commented, slashing the blade a few times experimentally. At last, he pointed it at Shizuo. "Let's go, Shizu-chan!"

With a roar, Shizuo ran forward with the sign. He had missed this, he realized as he whipped the sign at Izaya. Izaya seemed to be enjoying himself as well, twirling and leaping and ducking just in time to avoid the sign, and yet still managing to lash out with the flickblade every so often to keep Shizuo on his toes.

They didn't hold back; it wouldn't have been as much fun otherwise. But Shizuo didn't go into his murderous rage and Izaya kept his most biting insults to a minimum. Sometime during the fight, Shizuo realized that Izaya had stolen back his wallet, which Shizuo had had since the fire. Izaya had picked it right out of Shizuo's vest pocket and then tucked it into his own pocket with a grin.

Gradually, the fight became less fun. Izaya started wincing more often whenever he had to twist out of the way, and Shizuo couldn't swing nearly as fast for fear of actually landing a hit. At last, Shizuo let Izaya jump back and put some space between them.

For a moment, they both stood there, panting, sweating, then Izaya grinned and straightened out of his fighting stance.

"Okay, I'm done," Izaya said. "Wanna go for lunch?"

"Sure sure," Shizuo replied.

Then, to the mingled surprise and confusion of the spectators, Shizuo dropped the street sign, Izaya put away his flickblade, and they walked away down the street side-by-side, chatting as amicably as could be expected as they headed towards Russian Sushi.

The End


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